Dunkeld
Dunkeld nestles by the side of the river Tay in Perthshire and has played an important role in the early history of Scotland. The name itself is believed to be a corruption of Dun Caledon, the fort of the Caledonii, after whom the country was named by the Romans - Caledonia.
The town has been an important religious and royal centre with a monastery on the site since the 7th century. Kenneth MacAlpin, the first king of a united Scotland, held court here as a joint capital with Scone. He also commissioned a stone church to hold the remains of Saint Columba in order to protect them from increasing Viking attacks on the West coast. In fact this abbey was itself attacked by Viking raiders in 903.
Dunkeld was later to become the religious centre for all of Scotland and the impressive cathedral was built in phases between 1325 and 1501 and displays both Gothic and Norman features. Even after the Viking period the town and cathedral had a fairly turbulent history. In 1560 the church was virtually destroyed as part of the anti Catholic fervour of the Reformation, the town was to suffer again and more terribly during the Jacobite uprisings.
In 1689 the Highlanders massed a force to fight in favour of the deposed Stewart dynasty and against William of Orange and the newly installed Hanoverian line. Their first major victory took place at the Battle of Killiecrankie about 14 miles to the North after which the surviving Government troops fell back to Dunkeld. It was here on the 21st of August that they were attacked by 4000 Jacobite troops, the battle raged from dawn until the last light and the Government put up a brave defense despite being heavily outnumbered but were eventually driven back to a desperate last stand around the cathedral. When the Jacobites finally withdrew the Cathedral was badly damaged and only 3 houses remained intact in the town.
Over the following years Dunkeld was gradually rebuilt and became an important commercial center sited as it was at an important river crossing and at the meeting of 2 drove roads where cattle were driven from the hills to the lowland markets. Despite the river not being bridged until 1809 (another by the great engineer Thomas Telford), and even then being subject to heavy tolls, business still thrived. Tanning and yarns were the mainstay of the economy but glove making, candle making and brewing were also important.
The advent of the railway in the area led to something of a decline in Dunkeld's fortunes as it passed on the opposite bank of the river and many of the oldest building were falling into a dangerous state of repair. Thankfully most of the old town is now in the hands of the National trust and the charming 17th century buildings now have a safe future.
The nearby Hermitage was built by the Duke of Atholl in the 18th Century. This folly is set dramatically above the River Braan. There are many lovely walks alongside the river with its impressive falls and abundant wildlife. These are accessible to people of all abilities and the leaping salmon are a truly memorable sight.
Within Dunkeld we may enjoy:
Tours that may visit Dunkeld include:
